Zero Population Growth in Israel
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Israel, located in the Middle East bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon. The State of Israel has a population of 6,276,883 people of which 187,000 are Israeli settlers in the West Bank, approximately 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, more than 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and less than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2005 est.). The National Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is $129 billion (2004 est.); the GDP per capita is $20,800 (2004 est.). Israel receives economic and military aid from the United States. “Israel is considered a developed nation in accordance with the United Nations Statistics Division, as measured by its international trade statistics .”
The current Prime Minister is Ariel Sharon, the President is Moshe Katzav – the President is primarily a ceremonial role elected by the Knesset (Parliament). The Prime Minister is elected into power by the general population through a democratic election. The ruling party is the Likud party headed by Prime Minister Sharon and is a “right-wing political party promoting Jewish-oriented culture, emphasizing such nationalist themes as the flag and the heroism that won Israel’s 1948 war with seven Arab States. It advocates teachings values and behavior codes in childhood education. Likud endorses press freedom, and promotion of private-sector media, which have grown markedly under governments Likud has led .”
The predominant religions in Israel consist of Jewish (80.1%), Muslim (14.6%), Christian (2.1%), and other (3.2%). Presently there is no written constitution, but rather it utilizes a system of basic laws and rights which in the interim benefit from semi-constitutional status. The Constitution Committee believes that Israel is the democratic state of the Jewish people, it will establish the dual nature of Israel as Jewish and democratic, “and emphasize the commitment of its citizens to both democratic and Jewish values .” Israel guarantees equality under the law to all its citizens. It is difficult to define Jews in relation to Israel. Is Israel the “Jewish State” or the “State of the Jewish People”? Is Judaism a religion, or a national culture and ethnicity? Judaism is intertwined in the law and decision makers of Israel as much as it is the nation religion . Talmud interprets Genesis 1:28 as every Jewish man to father one son and one daughter. Jewish Law does permit certain methods of birth control